Pro-Russian protesters have stormed government buildings in three eastern Ukrainian cities. In Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv they clashed with police, hung Russian flags from the buildings and called for a referendum on independence. Ukraine's acting president called an emergency security meeting in response.

A recording has surfaced online purporting to be a leaked conversation between two Russian ambassadors discussing which parts of the world they would like to annex after Crimea.

The world loves pandas. The enigmatic, retiring and adorable creatures have become a global symbol of international friendship since China first began sending them as gifts to foreign countries in the 1950s. This adorable animal returned to the spotlight during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Europe.

The Turkish government late Thursday ordered Internet service providers to restore access to Twitter, lifting a two-week ban on the microblogging site a day after the nation's highest court ruled it illegal and an infringement on free speech.

For the last month and a half I have been following the Ukraine crisis on my Twitter account, and it has offered an unprecedented way to get a real understanding of what people think about the situation and how they think it should be resolved. 

Almost half of Scotland's small business owners believe independence would harm their company, a survey has found. Research revealed that 48 per cent believed a Yes vote would be bad for business, compared to 37 per cent who said it would have a positive impact.

The North and Midlands would be hit hardest by Britain quitting the European Union, according to an economic analysis which revealed that the number of jobs which are dependent on trade links with the bloc now exceeds 4 million.

If you don’t know the Ukrainian pop star Ruslana Lyzhychko, you should. She’s known as the Britney Spears of Eastern Europe, except she doesn’t shave her head for attention, she leads political rallies, and she was recently a key figure in the Euromaidanprotests in Kiev.